THE  OBJECT  of  this  bulletin  is  not  to  cover  the 
entire  range  of  products  which  may  be  made 
from  fruits  nor  to  publish  a  long  list  of  recipes, 
but  rather  to  revive  an  interest  in  a  few  of  the  more 
common  home  fruit  products  easily  made  and  rel¬ 
ished  by  most  people. 

The  various  butters  considered  in  the  following 
pages  have  all  been  made  and  tested  in  one  of  the 
laboratories  of  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  can  be  recommended  as  good, 
wholesome,  home-prepared  fruit  products. 


The  principal  new  features  presented  here  are  the 
short  time  in  which  apple  butter  may  be  made  and 
the  adding  of  the  peeled  and  sliced  apples  to  the 
fresh  cider  without  first  boiling  down  the  cider. 

Those  who  do  not  grow  fruit  may  take  advantage 
of  heavy  supplies  of  fruits  in  the  markets  to  buy 
cheaply  and  also  to  help  conserve  foods  which  might 
otherwise  be  wasted. 


Washington,  D.  C. 


Issued  September,  1917 
Revised  September,  1922 


2 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
BOOKSTACKS 


Gyt-ij 

CCr^ 


HOMEMADE  FRUIT  BUTTERS 


By  C.  P.  Close, 

Extension  Horticulturist,  Office  of  Extension  Work 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 


Necessary  equipment _  3 

Apple  "butter _  3 

Apple  butter  with  cider _  4 

Apple  butter  without  cider _  5 

Apple  butter  with  grape  juice _  5 

Apple  butter  with  lemons _  5 

Apple  butter  with  plums _  5 

Apple  butter  with  rhubarb _  5 

Pear  butter _  6 


Page. 


Peach  butter _  <3 

Peach  butter  made  with  dried 

and  canned  peaches _  6 

Peach  butter  with  lemon  juice_  6 

(Plum  butter _ _  7 

Garfield  butter _  7 

Sterilization  of  containers  for  fruit 

butters _  7 


THE  USE  of  many  fruit  products  is  doubtless  restricted  because 
of  a  lack  of  familiarity  with  them,  and  also  because  of  the 
labor  required  to  prepare  them ;  but  a  goodly  number  are  very  easily 
made.  Although  canning  and  drying  are  always  largely  practiced 
as  a  means  of  saving  perishable  fruits,  there  are  other  ways  of 
utilizing  a  portion  of  them  to  add  variety  to  the  menu  and  volume 
to  the  larder.  As  much  of  these  fruits  as  can  be  handled  satisfac¬ 
torily  should  be  used  in  making  fruit  butters.  While  it  is  desirable 
to  have  only  good  grades  of  fresh  fruits  for  making  these  products, 
the  sound  portions  of  inferior  fruit  may  be  used  with  perfect  success. 

NECESSARY  EQUIPMENT. 

The  usual  utensils  in  almost  daily  use  in  every  kitchen  are  all  that 
are  needed  in  the  making  of  fruit  butters  in  small  quantities.  It  is 
desirable,  but  not  absolutely  necessary,  to  have  an  enamel-lined, 
aluminum,  or  other  good  preserving  kettle,  such  as  is  kept  for  fruit¬ 
cooking  purposes  only.  Other  utensils  needed  are  a  colander,  wire 
sieve,  potato  masher,  measuring  cups,  knives,  and  pans. 

The  large  iron  and  copper  kettles,  used  so  much  on  the  farms  in 
the  past  in  making  considerable  quantities  of  apple  butter  out  of 
doors  (see  title-page  illustration),  are  still  in  use  in  many  sections 
of  the  countrv. 

APPLE  BUTTER. 

Apple  butter  has  probably  not  lost  its  old-time  popularity,  but  it 
does  not  seem  to  be  made  in  such  generous  quantities  nor  in  so  many 

2455°— 28  Q 


4 


Farmers'  Bulletin  900. 


homes  as  formerly.  There  is  no  better  way  to  use  good  apples  and 
the  sound  portions  of  windfall,  wormy,  and  bruised  apples  than  to 
make  them  into  butter,  either  in  small  or  large  quantities. 

While  almost  any  apples  wdll  make  good  apple  butter,  those  which 
have  a  distinctively  rich  tart  flavor  and  good  cooking  quality  are  most 
satisfactory.  Such  old  standard  varieties  as  Northern  Spy,  Rhode 
Island  Greening,  Tompkins  King,  and  Smokehouse  rre  excellent  for 
this  purpose.  It  has  been  found  in  recent  tests  by  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  that  the  summer  varieties  make  as  rich 
and  snappy  apple  butter  as  the  fall  and  winter  varieties.  Varieties 
of  coarse  texture  naturally  make  a  rather  coarse  product  unless  put 
through  a  colander  or  wire  sieve  after  first  being  made  into  apple 
sauce  before  adding  them  to  the  cider.  Sometimes  sweet  apples  are 
used  with  tart  apples,  the  usual  proportion  being  one-third  of  the 
former  to  two-thirds  of  the  latter.  Overripe  apples  are  not  desir¬ 
able,  but  if  they  must  be  used  add  a  little  vinegar  to  give  some  snap 
to  the  butter.  The  proportion  of  vinegar  required  must  be  deter¬ 
mined  by  the  taste. 

It  has  been  accepted  generally  that  the  sweet  cider  must  be  boiled 
down  at  least  one-half  before  the  apples  are  added  and  cooking 
begun  and  that  slow  cooking  for  hours  was  absolutely  necessary. 
This,  however,  is  not  necessary;  in  fact,  it  is  a  loss  of  time  and  fuel 
to  boil  down  the  cider  first  and  then  cook  the  apples  in  it  for  a  long 
time.  Just  as  high  a  grade  of  butter  will  result  by  adding  the 
apples  to  the  unboiled  cider  and  cooking  rapidly  until  finished. 
Small  lots  of  apple  butter  may  be  made  in  one  hour,  or  less,  by  put¬ 
ting  the  apples  into  sweet  cider  and  cooking  as  fast  as  is  safe  without 
scorching.  Large  quantities  take  a  longer  time,  but  may  be  cooked  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  Strict  attention  must  be  given  to  stirring,  in 
order  that  the  butter  may  not  scorch  and  stick  to  the  kettle. 

Apple  butter  with  cider. — Either  fresh  cider  or  commercial  steri¬ 
lized  cider  may  be  used.  The  usual  proportion  of  peeled  and  sliced 
apples  and  cider  is  gallon  for  gallon,  but  from  one-half  to  three- 
quarters  of  a  gallon  of  cider  to  a  gallon  of  peeled  and  sliced  apples 
will  give  a  rich  product  if  the  apples  are  good  cookers.  Less  than 
half  as  much  cider  as  prepared  apples  is  likely  to  make  an  apple 
sauce  rather  than  a  butter,  unless  it  is  cooked  very  slowly  for  four  to 
six  hours. 

Continue  the  cooking  until  the  cider  and  apples  do  not  separate 
and  the  butter,  when  cold,  is  as  thick  as  good  apple  sauce.  Deter¬ 
mine  the  thickness  at  frequent  intervals  by  cooling  small  portions. 

If  sugar  is  used,  add  it  after  the  cooking  of  cider  and  apples  is 
about  two-thirds  done.  About  a  pound  of  either  white  or  brown 
sugar  is  the  usual  proportion  per  gallon  of  apple  butter,  but  more 
or  less  (or  not  any)  may  be  used,  to  suit  the  taste. 


Homemade  Fruit  Butters. 


5 


Apple  butter  is  spiced  according  to  taste,  about  half  a  teaspoonful 
each  of  ground  cinnamon,  cloves,  and  allspice  being  used  for  each 
gallon.  These  are  stirred  into  it  when  the  cooking  is  finished. 

Vanilla  extract  added  after  the  spices  are  stirred  in  improves  the 
quality  and  adds  to  the  snappiness  of  the  butter.  Use  from  2  to  4 
teaspoonfuls  per  gallon  of  butter,  according  to  taste. 

Apple  butter  without  cider. — Good  apple  butter  is  often  made 
without  the  use  of  cider.  Acid  apples  of  good  quality  are  best  for 
this  purpose,  as  they  make  a  snappy  product.  Add  enough  water  to 
the  peeled  and  sliced  apples  to  make  a  thin  apple  sauce,  cook  very 
slowly,  or  simmer,  over  a  low  fire  for  three  or  four  hours  and  stir 
often.  Brown  rather  than  white  sugar  is  usually  used,  being  added 
when  the  cooking  is  two-thirds  done.  The  sugar  which  settles  at  the 
bottom  of  a  barrel  of  New  Orleans  molasses  is  excellent  for  this 
purpose.  A  pound  per  gallon  is  usually  sufficient;  but  this  amount 
is  a  matter  of  taste,  as  is  also  the  amount  of  cinnamon,  allspice,  cloves, 
and  vanilla  to  be  added  when  the  cooking  is  done. 

Apple  butter  with  grape  juice. — If  a  grape  flavor  is  desired  in 
apple  butter  it  may  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  grape  juice.  To  each 
gallon  of  peeled  and  sliced  apples,  cooked  into  sauce  and  strained, 
add  1  pint  of  grape  juice,  1  cup  of  brown  sugar,  and  one-quarter  of  a 
teaspoonful  of  salt.  Cook  slowly  and  stir  often  for  two  hours,  or 
until  of  the  desired  thickness ;  then  stir  in  1  teaspoonful  of  cinnamon. 

Apple  butter  with  lemons. — Slice  four  lemons,  cover  with  water, 
and  let  stand  over  night.  Next  morning  put  them  in  a  preserving 
kettle  with  8  pounds  of  apples,  pared,  cored,  and  sliced.  Cook  for 
one  hour,  add  3  pounds  of  sugar,  and  cook  slowly  with  frequent  stir¬ 
ring  one  and  one-half  hours  longer,  or  until  of  the  proper  thickness. 

Apple  butter  with  plums. — An  exceedingly  rich  and  snappy  but¬ 
ter  is  made  with  apples  and  plums.  Use  1  measure  of  plums  to 
2  measures  of  peeled  and  sliced  apples.  Wash  and  cook  the  plums 
and  rub  through  a  strainer  or  colander  to  get  out  the  pits.  Cook  the 
apples  into  sauce,  add  the  stewed  plums,  and  continue  cooking  an 
hour  or  two  or  until  of  the  right  consistency.  When  two-thirds 
cooked,  add  2  pounds  of  sugar  per  gallon.  When  finished  use  spices 
and  vanilla  according  to  taste. 

Apple  butter  with  rhubarb. — A  fairly  satisfactory  butter,  or  per¬ 
haps  relish,  is  made  of  apples  and  rhubarb.  Peel  and  cut  the  rhu¬ 
barb  into  short  pieces  and  use  from  one-eighth  to  one-quarter  as 
much  as  of  peeled  and  sliced  apples.  Place  the  rhubarb  and  the 
apples  together  in  the  kettle  and  add  enough  water  to  make  a  rather 
thin  sauce.  Cook  until  the  proper  thickness.  Use  sugar  and  spices, 
as  mentioned  for  apple  butter  with  cider.  This  must  be  sterilized 
and  tightly  sealed  at  once,  because  molds  attack  and  grow  in  it  so 
readily. 


6 


Farmers 9  Bulletin  900. 


PEAR  BUTTER. 

Pear  butter  is  made  like  the  apple  butter  without  cider.  Use  pears 
ripe  enough  to  cook  up  well.  Peel,  core,  and  slice  them ;  put  in  a 
preserving  kettle  with  a  little  water  and  cook  slowly  until  soft. 
Then  add  the  sugar,  1  cup  to  1  quart  of  sliced  pears,  and  continue 
cooking  very  slowly,  with  frequent  stirring,  for  one  and  a  half  to 
two  hours.  The  butter  should  then  be  smooth  and  of  the  consistency 
of  thick  apple  sauce.  Stir  into  the  hot  butter  a  little  lemon  juice, 
with  ginger,  cinnamon,  or  other  spices  to  taste.  Pack  while  hot  in 
hot  sterilized  containers  and  cover  with  paraffin,  or  sterilize  with 
steam  as  directed  for  apple  butter. 

PEACH  BUTTER. 

Put  the  peaches  in  a  wire  basket  and  dip  them  in  boiling  water 
a  few  seconds  or  until  the  skin  slips ;  test  by  raising  the  fruit  out  of 
the  water  and  rubbing  the  skin  between  the  fingers.  Dip  the  peaches 
into  cold  water,  peel,  and  pit  them.  Well-ripened  freestone  varieties 
are  best.  Mash  the  pulp  and  cook  it  in  its  own  juice  without  adding 
water.  If  it  is  rather  coarse,  put  it  through  a  colander  or  coarse  wire 
sieve  to  make  a  butter  of  fine  texture.  To  each  measure  or  pound  of 
pulp  add  a  half  measure  or  half  a  pound  of  sugar,  cook  slowly, 
and  stir  frequently  until  the  product  is  of  the  desired  thickness.  The 
sugar  may  be  added  before  cooking  begins,  if  desired.  The  meats 
of  several  pits  may  be  cooked  either  whole  or  sliced  in  each  gallon 
of  butter.  While  still  hot,  pack  in  sterilized  jars  or  glasses  with 
tight-fitting  tops  and  sterilize  like  apple  butter  or  cover  with  hot 
paraffin. 

Peach  butter  made  with  dried  and  canned  peaches. — When  ripe 
peaches  are  not  available,  peach  butter  can  be  made  from  dried 
and  canned  fruits.  To  each  4  pounds  of  dried  peaches  use  2  quarts 
of  canned  peaches.  Soak  the  dried  peaches  in  water  several  hours 
and  cook  until  tender.  Add  the  canned  peaches  and  rub  the  pulp 
through  a  colander  or  wire  sieve.  Stir  2J  pounds  of  sugar  into  this 
pulp  and  cook  slowly,  stirring  often,  for  two  hours  or  until  of  the 
right  thickness.  Pack  while  hot  and  cover  with  hot  paraffin,  or  steri¬ 
lize  like  peach  butter. 

Peach  butter  with  lemon  juice. — Pare,  pit,  and  slice  15  pounds 
of  peaches,  put  in  a  preserving  kettle,  and  bring  slowly  to  a  boil 
in  their  own  juice.  Cook  45  minutes  and  add  5  pounds  of  sugar. 
Cook  15  minutes  longer,  add  the  juice  of  1  lemon,  and  boil  1  minute 
longer.  Boil  slowly  and  stir  often.  Pack  while  hot  and  cover  with 
hot  paraffin,  or  sterilize  like  peach  butter. 


Homemade  Fruit  Butters. 

PLUM  BUTTER. 

Wash  the  plums,  place  them  with  a  little  water 
in  a  preserving  kettle,  and  cook  until  soft.  Then 
separate  the  skins  and  the  pits  by  rubbing  the 
pulp  through  a  colander  or  a  coarse  wire  sieve. 
In  the  case  of  large  freestone  plums  it  will  prob¬ 
ably  be  easier  and  quicker  to  dip  the  fruit  into 
boiling  water  a  few  seconds  until  the  skins  crack, 
then  dip  into  cold  water,  so  that  the  skins  can  be 
readily  slipped  off,  the  flesh  split  open,  and  the  pits 
removed. 

If  the  plums  are  very  juicy,  the  pulp  put  through 
a  colander  will  be  quite  thin  and  ought  to  be  boiled 
down  to  thicken  it  somewhat  before  the  sugar  is 
added.  For  each  measure  of  pulp,  whether  put 
through  the  colander  or  not,  use  a  half  to  three- 
fourths  of  a  measure  of  sugar  and  cook  slowly 
with  frequent  stirring  until  the  butter  is  as  thick 
as  desired.  If  a  tart  butter  is  favored,  less  sugar 
should  be  used.  Cinnamon,  allspice,  and  cloves 
should  be  added  to  suit  the  taste  when  the  cooking 
is  finished. 

Plum  butter  should  be  packed  hot  in  hot  steril¬ 
ized  jars  or  glasses  and  then  covered  with  hot 
paraffin,  or  else  sterilized  as  directed  for  apple 
butter. 

GARFIELD  BUTTER. 

Take  two-thirds  plums  and  one-third  peaches. 
Pare,  pit,  and  slice  the  peaches,  and  if  the  plums 
are  freestones  remove  the  pits.  Cook  the  peaches 
and  plums  together  slowly  until  soft  and  rub 
through  a  colander  or  coarse  sieve.  If  the  plums 
are  clingstones  the  pits  are  removed  by  this  opera¬ 
tion.  To  each  measure  of  pulp  add  three-fourths 
of  a  measure  of  sugar,  cook  slowly,  and  stir  often 
until  of  the  right  thickness.  Pack  hot  and  cover 
with  hot  paraffin,  or  sterilize  like  peach  butter. 

STERILIZATION  OF  CONTAINERS  FOR  FRUIT 

BUTTERS. 

The  ordinary  glass  or  stone  jars  (fig.  1),  hermet¬ 
ically  sealed  stone  jars  (fig.  2),  or  any  glass  or 
stoneware  containers  with  or  without  air-tight 
covers  may  be  used  for  holding  fruit  butters.  Ster- 


7 


Fig.  1.- — Six  types  of 
glass  containers 
and  a  stone  jar 
for  storing  fruit 
butters. 


8 


Farmers ’  Bulletin  900. 


ilize  all  containers  and  pour  in  the  boiling  hot  butter.  If  the  contain- 
ers  do  not  have  air-tight  covers,  r~-  the  but- 

ter  at  once  to  seal  the  top  and  ke  II  rntain- 

ers  with  tight  covers  on  by  setti  a  false 

bottom  and  deep  enough  to  hoh  3  0112  078505374  Put  on 
the  cover  to  hold  the  steam,  and  set  over  the  tire.  JBegin  to  count 
time  when  the  steam  starts  to  escape,  and  after  5  minutes  for  quart 
or  smaller  sizes,  10  minutes  for  half-gallon  sizes,  and  15  minutes  for 


Fig.  2. — Three  sizes  and  types  of  hermetically  sealed  crockery  jars.  These  are  satis¬ 
factorily  used  for  storing  fruit  butters. 

gallon  sizes,  take  tho  containers  out  to  cool ;  then  set  them  away  for 
future  use.  Do  not  disturb  the  covers  until  the  fruit  butter  is  to 
be  used.  If  the  covers  do  not  fit  tightly,  place  waxed  or  oiled  paper 
in  them  to  make  a  tight  fit  before  sterilizing.  This  sterilizing  is  for 
the  purpose  of  preventing  any  molding,  spoiling,  or  infection  of 
the  top  layer  of  fruit  butter  and  also  to  take  the  place  of  paraffin, 
which  is  now  quite  expensive. 


U.S.  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  I  192S 


